Little Black Dress
by I'm A Marooner
Summary: "Little Black Dress just walked into the room, making heads turn, Can't stop looking at you." A little birthday surprise for Castle. A little bit AU, read A/N for clarification. ONE SHOT


**A/N: Inspired by the song "Little Black Dress" by One Direction. Kinda just took on a life of its own. **

**Also… Note: This is set pre-season 4. So they're not together yet, but it's still like present day. I don't know if that makes sense…**

**It's his 40****th**** birthday party, yes I know that's already happened but this is kinda AU here so just go with it.**

**So let me know what you think.**

Castle sat at the bar with Ryan and Esposito nursing a beer. Lanie and Jenny had run off a while ago to a booth. Apparently there was some much needed girl talk.

"Bro, you knew Seattle would kick Denver's ass," Esposito commented. "Why would you even make that bet?"

"I know, I know," Ryan said. "Drunken nights lead to bad decisions."

Castle smirked at their nonstop bickering, but couldn't find it in himself to jump into it himself. The boys, along with Lanie and Jenny, had organized a surprise party for Castle. Yeah, it was his big 4-0. Woo hoo. Everyone seemed to make a big deal out of it, but he just thought it was sad. He was 40, has been divorced twice, had a daughter in college, and still hadn't found the right woman yet.

Well, he had _found_ her already, but he hadn't done anything about it. But that was the problem… That woman… Yeah, she didn't make it to the party. Castle honestly didn't know where she was or what she was doing. They had all been at the station when the boys suggested they head to the Old Haunt for drinks. Kate had declined. Said she was busy or something.

He hadn't really cared then. He knew she was always behind on keeping her house decent. But now that he knew that this whole thing was a planned party, he was kinda pissed. Maybe pissed was the wrong word. But he was a little bit angry. And a whole lot of hurt.

Kate, the woman who meant more to him than life itself, was too busy to come celebrate his birthday. Great. Glad to know all the effort he had put into her has done literally nothing so far. He sighed, picking up his glass and swirling the alcohol a few times before tipping it back and emptying it. That was already his fifth one… and they had only been here for an hour. He lifted his glass to the bartender, who promptly refilled it.

Noticing another glass of beer being handed to him, Esposito spoke up. "Bro, you're gonna be hammered before any fun begins!"

"Isn't that when the fun begins?" Castle asked dryly, taking a sip of his new beer.

"Touché," he commented, "But seriously man, lighten up. I know you're ticked Beckett isn't here, but look around you, there are plenty of smoking hot girls just waiting for you to hit on them."

"Excuse me?" Lanie's voice sounded from behind them. "What kind of girls are here?"

Ryan hid his smirk behind his glass as Jenny sidled up to his side. He threw his arm around her, pulling her closer to his body.

"They don't even compare to you Chica," Esposito responded huskily.

"Hmm," Lanie said, full of attitude, "They better not."

Castle laughed. Esposito definitely had his hands full with that one.

"C'mon Javi, I wanna dance," she grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the bar. He finished what was left of his beer as she dragged him onto the dance floor. The DJ had started playing club music not too long ago, so a few other couples had already ventured into the dancing realm.

"He's so whipped," Ryan laughed.

"So are you, so hush," Jenny threw at him.

"Maybe, but it doesn't feel like it with you."

"Guys, cut the lovey stuff, please," Castle said with a smirk. "Go. Have fun. Be in love. I'm okay, I promise."

"Castle, we don't want you to be alone. It's your birthday after all," Ryan pointed out.

"I'm fine. I'll find a leggy blonde; get my mind off of things." Ryan gave him a wary look, but then his eyes drifted off over Castle's shoulder. His jaw dropped as his mind processed what he saw.

Castle turned, following his stare, and had the same reaction. He gaped at her, standing in the doorway of the bar. Tight, strapless black dress cut about mid-thigh. It hugged her curves perfectly, highlighting everything about her. She wore black stilettos that only lengthened her endless legs. Nearly every man in the bar turned to stare at her. Ryan slapped his shoulder, "Go for it, Bro." Castle nodded dumbly, not really paying attention. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

And that's when she spotted him, sitting alone at the bar, a half empty beer still clutched in his hand. She smirked a sexy little thing, and sauntered towards him, swinging her hips more than usual. She watched his eyes travel over her body, settling at her chest longer than necessary, but she didn't really care. She moved to the bar, signaling the bartender with two fingers. "Round of Angel's Tits, please."

He nodded, his eyes moving toward her chest appreciatively. She rolled her eyes, showing her displeasure. She only had eyes for one man here. He brought her the shots, each topped with a cherry, and left.

She took a cherry from the first one, spinning it around for a few seconds before speaking. "What's got you so worked up?" she asked, plopping the cherry into her mouth. She closed her lips around it, purposefully, making eye contact with him as she did so.

He swallowed hard. She was perfect. In every single way. "Just a girl…" he trailed off, still mesmerized by her lips.

"Yeah?" she asked her voice low and sultry.

"Ye-yeah," he stuttered, watching as she made a show out of eating the second red cherry.

She hummed. "Well maybe we can fix that…" she slid one of the shots over to him, and gracefully stepped out of her shoes.

He picked up the small glass, his heart still hammering in his chest. She lifted her own glass, "To Always," she said with a shy smile.

He grinned, his mood completely changing. "To Always," he agreed. They kept eye contact as they downed the shots, neither flinching at the burn down their throats. The glasses hit the bar as Kate took his hand, pulling him off the bar stool. She started to lead him to the dance floor when he stopped her, a slight pull on her hand.

She turned to look at him, all smoky eyes and sex radiating from her body. He pulled her closer, his free hand finding its way into her hair. The other hand dropping her hand and finding her waist. Their faces were a breath away. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, but she didn't care. Her eyes closed as she leaned toward him. His lips captured hers for the briefest of moments before he pulled back. The lust seated in her dark eyes, however, brought him back for more. As her hands wrapped around his neck, he took her bottom lip into his, sucking soundly before biting down gently. At her slight groan, he smiled, releasing her lip, but claiming her mouth altogether again. Their mouths worked together for a few moments when they heard the boys' wolf-whistle from across the room. They broke apart slightly, eyes locked on one another. They shared a secret smile before they turned to their friends who were grinning like crazy. Lanie and Jenny just gave them a knowing smile.

Kate pulled away from the warmth of his body, but again, found his hand. She led him to the dance floor where the DJ was playing some song neither of them had ever heard. But that didn't stop them. Kate was on him, face to face, her hands rustling her hair, and travelling their way down her body. Castle couldn't help but follow their path.

A few songs later, they moved to be closer to their friends. Kate's back was tight against Castle's chest, and his hands were conveniently placed on the inside of her legs as her ass grinded against his hips. She moved one of her hands to atop of his while the other found its way back to the side of his neck, getting his attention. She muttered something he didn't catch, so he leant down, his ear right next to her mouth.

"So did we fix it?" she asked him playfully.

He grinned, remembering her comment at the bar. "Definitely fixed it," he said, sliding his hand further inside her leg. He planted a wet kiss on her neck, making her shiver.

"Hey now, guys! We'd rather you didn't have sex on the dance floor," Ryan teased.

Kate immediately shot back, "It'll probably be the only place we don't have sex tonight."

Lanie squealed, Jenny giggled, the boys looked shocked, and Castle just groaned, his head falling to her shoulder. "You can't say things like that and expect me to be okay."

"Sorry Writer Boy," she smiled at him.

He growled, "Man," into her ear.

"I don't know, Castle," she trailed off, "I haven't gotten any proof to believe otherwise."

"Yet," he mumbled against her skin.

Her hand intertwined with his. "Yet," she agreed.

Just then, the music changed. The beat dropping tempo drastically. The DJ's voice sounded over the speakers. "Just gonna slow it down with some throwbacks."

Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" started playing. A few couples exited the dance floor, but most of them stayed locked in a tight embrace. Kate turned around, her eyes finding Castle's immediately, but he was focused on something above her head. His hands drifted to her waist, as her arms wrapped around his neck. She smiled at him, her eyes full of love.

"So was it worth it?" she asked quietly, not wanting to break the spell that had settled around them.

"Was what worth it?" he questioned, his voice husky.

"Waiting…" she answered shyly.

He looked at her then. "For you? It's always worth it," he stated sincerely.

She smiled shyly, reaching up to lock her lips with his. "I'm glad," she said as they broke apart. "I've had this planned for a while."

"What?" he muttered against her cheek, his eyes still closed.

"Surprising you. The boys might try to tell you it was their idea, but it wasn't. I wanted to give you this party because I needed to give you this."

He pulled back to study her, giving her a questioning look. "Give me what?"

She looked down, her eyes focusing on his chest and the few buttons that had somehow been undone. She swore she didn't do that, but who knows? She swallowed as she brought her eyes back up to his. "My heart. I'm in love with you, Rick. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out. But I am. I can't imagine living without you anymore, and I needed to tell you that. To show you that."

He smiled at her, kissing her briefly on the cheek. "When?"

"When what?"

"When did you figure it out?"

She huffed out a breath. "About Christmas time, when you left your family to spend time with me. I realized that that was exactly what I wanted you to do. Not leave your family, but to spend time with me. And it just hit me then, but I didn't know what to do so I—"

She was cut off by his mouth on hers. "Doesn't even matter," he mumbled against her lips, "I love you, too."

"I know," she smiled against his mouth. He lightly kissed her nose, making her giggle.

"Did you just giggle?" he teased her.

"No."

"You so did. I just made Katherine Beckett giggle like a teenager!"

"Okay, okay! Just shut up!" she giggled again, making his smile broaden. They stared at each other, lost in the sparkle of each other's eyes.

"Take me home?" she asked him quietly.

He nodded, breaking apart from her and heading towards the door. He held her hand tightly as they made their way through the crowd. He slapped Ryan and Esposito's shoulders as he passed. "See you guys, thanks." They just gave him cocky smiles. Lanie and Jenny stopped to give Kate a hug. She hugged them back single-armed, her other hand still clutching Castle's as if her life depended on it.

"Have fun, girl!" Lanie squealed.

Kate laughed, finally escaping the crowd. She watched as Castle grabbed his jacket throwing it over his arm. She released his hand, only to steal the jacket and slip it on over her dress. At his questioning look, she shrugged. "It's chilly outside."

He grinned. "I like you in my clothes anyway."

"Soon enough, you'll get to see me without your clothes on…" she winked at him. Together they walked out into the breezy New York City air.

"Cab or walk? It's only a few blocks."

"Walk," she answered taking his hand. In her other hand, she held her stilettos, refusing to put them out and lose the height difference. They started their trek to Castle's loft, bumping into each other every few steps.

A shadowy figure and an elderly man watched from across the street, smiles plastered on both of their faces, but neither of them saw each other. They were just happy their children had found love even without their guidance.

**A/N: So I'm not sure about the ending, but I didn't know how else to finish it. And thank you to anyone who motivated me to write again. I still don't know if I'll continue the other story or not.**


End file.
